IT began with vintage buses on LightNight and ended with a classic car cavalcade on a wet afternoon. But Liverpool had plenty of days in the sun during its seven week summer fest celebrating all things Cunard and Uncle Sam.
According to new figures, around 1.6 million people packed waterfront, cultural attractions, bars and restaurants during One Magnificent City.
Declaring the programme "a huge success" Liverpool City Council claimed the media coverage received over the Three Queens weekend alone was worth £30 million. It said the local economy was boosted by another §£33 million during the visit making it one of the most successful events the city has staged.
Apart from the Mersey meet up of Cunard's flagship trio of luxury vessels, Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria, which saw 1.2 million people line the banks of the river at the end of May, crowd pleasers included the Mersey River Festival and the finale weekend, Transatlantic 175, which included a record-breaking catwalk event curated by fashion designer Wayne Hemingway.
The report says footfall increased three- or four-fold at many cultural attractions and businesses during the Three Queens weekend.
Some of the events, which ran from Friday 15 May until Sunday 5 July, were regular fixtures on the city’s cultural calendar, others were commissions funded through the Mayor’s Fund.
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• National Museums Liverpool: For the Three Queens weekend, Merseyside Maritime Museum received 24,245 visitors, an increase of 142 per cent on the same two days in 2014.
•The Museum of Liverpool (MOL) received 19,565 an increase of 180 per cent on the previous year.
•Increases were seen at both venues during the International Mersey River Festival - MMM 11,323 (up 35 per cent on 2014), MOL 12,679 (up 29 per cent on 2014) – and at MOL during the T175 welcomed 13,373 visitors, an increase of 45 per cent on 2014.
• Albert Dock Liverpool: During the T175 weekend, footfall exceeded 75,000.
• Three Cunard Queens: Officially named as one of Merseyside’s most successful free events, Liverpool, Sefton and Wirral attracted 1.2million people from Saturday 23 until Tuesday 26 May.
• LightNight: 65,000 visitors – the highest in LightNight’s history – flocked to 56 cultural venues and spaces in the city.
•Timeliners: Located in the Cunard Building as part of LightNight, Timeliners brought to life the stories of Cunard workers from medical officers to the heavy gang, through a brand new installation by Make Space Create. An audience of 2,537 came to see the memories and forgotten images of those who worked on the world famous liners throughout the one night it was on display.
• Look/15 Women In The City: Look/15 ran a photographic competition which would be a celebration of Liverpool’s female population. More than 160 entries were received. Work was exhibited at The Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool One and The Bluecoat, attracting 475,000 visitors.
• The Crossing, Liverpool One: 3D sound techniques developed by Heaven 17’s Martyn Ware and his company Illustrious created an "audio journey" across the music, fashion and culture Liverpool shares with New York
• Cunard Connections Walking Tours: The stories of Cunarders were brought alive with six 1.5 hour tours led by Deborah Mulhearn. 150 people were guided.
• International Mersey River Festival, Friday/Sunday June 5/7: 220,000 visitors to the waterfront for a weekend of boats, live music, street entertainment, air displays and a raft race.
• Rock n Roll Marathon: 12,000 runners over June 14/15
• Subterranean Theatre: The Maurie: Written by Writing on the Wall’s Mike Morris about the mighty "scouse boat" The Mauretania, and the lives of those who worked below decks. The 11 night run which took place in the Cunard building was a sell out and, in total, 600 people saw the production.
• An evening with Walter Mosley:The acclaimed American author entertained 115 people at Liverpool Town Hall during which he read extracts from his books and answered questions from the audience.
• Tate Liverpool: Tate Liverpool reported a 40 per cent increase in visits to the gallery on Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 July. Official figures when it finishes in October.
Wayne Hemingway and Caryn Franklin of The Clothes Show gearing up for the Transatlantic 175 weekend• Transatlantic 175 weekend (T175): July 4/5: 250,000 people attracted to the waterfront across the two days. "An independent economic impact report due out in a couple of months will reveal the full effects of the weekend," says the council, but "without a doubt it was a hugely successful couple of days". Liverpool created a new Guinness World Record – 3,651 for the most people modelling on a catwalk, and celebrated with a disco on the dock led by DJ Greg Wilson. It also hosted its first ever classic car cavalcade along with a vintage fair and food festival. The weekend was curated by designer Wayne Hemingway.
• Gianni Russo events:The Godfather actor took part in a Q&A session at Liverpool's Odeon Cinema on Saturday July 4, prior to a screening of the Oscar winning film to an audience of 150 people. The following night, his show One Night Only, entertained an audience of 120 with many Sinatra songs and stories.
